Effects of stocking density and additional nutrients on growth of the commercially farmed seaweeds Eucheuma denticulatum and Kappaphycus alvarezii in Zanzibar Tanzania
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Date
2013
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Publisher
St. John’s University of Tanzania
Abstract
Since commercial seaweed cultivation in Tanzania started in 1989, only limited
research has been done on impact of stocking density and nutrients, which are factors
that may limit seaweed growth. In this study, Eucheuma denticulatum and
Kappaphycus alvarezii were cultivated at low (50 g cuttings of seaweed (half of what
farmers use) in 4m long nylon ropes) and high (100 g cuttings of seaweed (the stocking
density of farmers) in 4m long nylon ropes) stocking densities under in situ growth
conditions and the seaweeds were fertilised by nitrogen and phosphorous enrichments.
Specific growth rates (SGRs) of both species were significantly higher at the lower
stocking density (P<0.05), whether the seaweeds had been fertilised or not. The
addition of nutrients had no significant effect (P>0.05) on the seaweeds as the SGRs
were similar for both species and densities except for K. alvarezii at high density
(P=0.04). Thus, lower stocking density enhances the growth rates of these two
seaweeds while additional higher nutrients have little effect.
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Keywords
Stocking density, nutrients, Seaweed growth, Euchema denticulatum, Kappaphycus alvarezii, Zanzibar
Citation
Msuya F.E. 2013. Effects of stocking density and additional nutrients on growth of the commercially farmed seaweeds Eucheuma denticulatum and Kappaphycus alvarezii in Zanzibar Tanzania. Tanzania Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences, 4:605-612.